No Symonds for Australia's South Africa tour

Melbourne: Australian all rounder Andrew Symonds has been dropped from the team that is to tour South Africa this month, and told to undergo further rehabilitation and counselling before he can be considered eligible for national selection.

A Fox Sports reports said that the Cricket Australia board met in Melbourne on Tuesday to make a ruling on Symonds.

Symonds has already copped a fine of 4000 dollars for calling New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum "a lump of shit in a radio interview.

CA chief executive James Sutherland said Symonds would have to satisfy formal rehab criteria before again being available for international selection.

Earlier, some senior Cricket Australia officials were reported as saying that they were likely to tell the board of directors not to consider Symonds for selection, given his alleged disturbed psychological state.

Top cricket officials have had concerns about Symonds'' psychological state and want to keep him on a rehabilitation program rather than expose him to the pitfalls of a hostile South African tour.

Board sources say the most likely course of action is that Symonds will be stood down and a fresh focus put on his rehabilitation program, overseen by several psychologists.

The earliest Symonds could return to play for Australia would be the one-day series against Pakistan in April/May. That series is almost certain not to go ahead as scheduled in strife-torn Pakistan, although it could be shifted to a neutral venue.

Symonds being pitch forked into the international cricket wilderness represents stern action by the board at a time when Australia''s cricketing fortunes have hit a rocky low. (ANI)